Uganda: Police to roll out phase III of national CCTV system
The Uganda Police Force (UPF) will require an additional $62 million in the implementation of the third phase of the National CCTV project.
This revelation was made by Deputy Minister Aggrey Wunyi, police officer, while appearing on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at the Defense and Internal Affairs Commission.
Wunyi said the project is still in the design and budget tendering stage.
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Minister of Domestic Affairs Hon. David Muhoozi led the troops to the committee meeting. Inspector General of Police (IGP), Abbas Byakagaba accompanied the minister.
The minister added that the performance of the first and second phases that the national CCTV system has been implemented ranges from 85% to 95%, with performance of 100% in some regions.
Muhoozi added that the system so far covers all 19 Kampala urban police departments as well as all cities including Masaka, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kabale, Kabale, Kisoro, Kisoro, Arua, Gulu, Gulu, Iganga and Jinja.
Other municipalities cover include Rukungiri, Bushenyi, Kasese, Fort Portal, Mubende, Mityana, Hoima, Hoima, Masindi, Kitgum, Lira, Soroti, Moroto, Moroto, Mbale, Kapchorwa, Tororo and Kamuli.
“Since the implementation of the system in 2018, 42,417 operational and intelligence LED incidents have been managed and 6,688 cases have been thoroughly investigated using captured videos,” Muhoozi said.
He said the third phase of the project attempts to reduce blind spots by increasing camera density, introduce human-destructed cameras for police officers, and enhance the ability of data centers to support growing storage and processing needs to close the gap identified in the initial phase.
“The system must continue to run because UPF recruits qualified IT staff and engineers to maintain the system. Only continuous training is required for new upgrades to the system,” Muhoozi added.
However, lawmakers asked about the effectiveness of CCTV cameras.
Chairman of the Committee. Wilson Kajwengye asked about the camera’s ability to operate effectively during power outages that affect different parts of the country.
“We have an incident where the main grid goes out. Will this affect your camera, or is it capable of continuing to run despite the challenges? Is the whole country the same?” Kajwengye asked.
honor. Peter Okeyoh (Bukooli Island County NRM) Mission UPF leadership will provide measures to the intentional destruction of CCTV systems in the field, including in construction projects such as road maintenance.
Kagoma North County MP, Hon. Kintu Brandon asked about the feasibility of the National CCTV system when capturing private CCTV cameras captured by videotapes.
“We have cameras installed in private places like supermarkets, bars, hotels or houses. How do you link them to the main CCTV center if you need to see the crime of the lenses?” Kintu asked.
Muhoozi clarified that the state system has no connection to private CCTV cameras.
“We only use volunteer information for people with personal cameras. We also do not have a legal system to manage private cameras and how they provide advice in the national camera grid because of the privacy issues involved,” Muhuz said.
To address the vandalism, Muhoozi noted that CCTV cameras were mounted on poles with spikes to prevent people from climbing up to hit the camera system.
IPF ICT director Felix Baryamwisaki said CCTV systems have strong regulations to manage power inconsistencies.
“The power backup of the camera site is up to eight hours. If the main grid goes beyond that, we will be affected, but the main monitoring centers keep running due to the long backup time,” Baryamwisaki said.
He added that the city’s power access has been greatly improved and the power outages should not exceed four hours, adding that there are plans to install solar systems in areas with long electric outages.
Issued by Apo Group on behalf of the Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.
